Chapter 24
LUCY
Because there was a woman here. To see Coach.
My professor. To see my Coach.
And he had fucking invited her.
Stalked me. Stolen my panties. Fucked me until I couldn’t see straight. But invited her.
He and the team had disappeared into the locker room. I’d tried to follow, but he’d put an arm out and stopped me.
“I don’t need you seeing college dick,” he’d muttered, and anyone who overheard would have probably assumed that he was being protective, not territorial.
Well, except for Trey, who watched the entire exchange, eyes working. I narrowed my own eyes at him; he was trying to ruin everything I wanted with his stupid, age-appropriate sister.
I leaned against the wall outside the locker room, waiting.
I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to say or do.
Coach had a lot to answer for, and I wasn’t sure where we went from here.
Had he really invited her? He’d seemed surprised when Trey had said something, but even Professor Putrovski had verified that there was something going on between them.
Was I being played? Was I a current or future side piece?
Oh no. No no no. No the fucking hell no. No way. I’d put up with that shit like I’d put up with someone abusing an animal, which was not at all.
“Oh. Hi, Lucy.”
Professor Putrovksi looked pretty in her high heels and cropped boyfriend jeans. She was perfectly put together, a little conservatively dressed, but her cleavage peeked out of her blue button down, making her neutral look sexy.
She looked nothing like me. She looked like an adult.
“Hi Professor,” I trilled, resisting the urge to cross my arms, block the door, or maybe even rip the hair out of her scalp for daring to try to take what was so obviously mine.
But was he? He won’t even let you wear his jersey in public.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, confused and a little wary. I must have been broadcasting my feelings about her appearance loudly—too loudly.
“Oh, I assist the team, so they keep me around,” I said easily.
She visibly relaxed, and I reminded myself that this was the person who could change the entire trajectory of my career—even if being with Blake could change the entire trajectory of my life.
I was stuck. What did I do? Did it even matter? This clearly wasn’t up to me.
“Oh, that makes sense. I was supposed to meet my brother and Coach Samson here after the game. Are they still in the locker room?”
Go away.
I forced myself to smile. “Post-game talk,” I said. “They should be out later, but it could be awhile. The press will probably do interviews, plus they have to talk to the players…if you want, I can take a message for him.”
A message for him. Like I was his secretary.
At “could be a while,” her back straightened.
“I think I’m fine waiting here,” she told me, and even though she forced a smile, the hostility coming off me was not the kind of thing you could ignore.
And she wasn’t going to. “Lucy, are you sure assisting the team is a good use of your time? You should be studying. That’s what’s important, isn’t it? If you want, I can talk to Coach Samson for you about it at dinner tonight.”
Dinner.
They were having dinner.
I knew a date included some sort of food or beverage, but that meant they’d planned it, that Coach had made a reservation somewhere. He’d known and he hadn’t told me. He let me just stand there like a fool and tell him I’d kill whatever woman he spent time with…what was he playing at?
Then, clearly feeling awkward, she offered, “Maybe you and Trey can come with? Not as a double-date thing, of course, but you’re both family, and it’s good to get to know each other’s families early, in my opinion…”
Excuse me?
Was she inviting me on their date?
Did she think they’d get serious enough that including families was important? And since when was I even Blake’s family?
I didn’t answer her.
She sighed. “Lucy, did I do something?”
Oh, fuck. I forced my face to look friendly.
I leaned in and lowered my voice. “I was hesitant to tell you this earlier, but the thing is…the reason Blake is single is that he doesn’t date. Ever.”
I had no idea if I was lying or not. For all I knew, Blake went on dates six nights a week and twice on Sundays, although the thought of him being with anyone else gave me figurative hives.
She absorbed this, and from the way her eyebrows raised, it was very obvious she did not believe me.
“And why would you be privy to that information?”
“Because,” I said, knowing it could get me in all sorts of shit and not caring whatsoever. “I’m his.”
“His…” she trailed off.
I should’ve finished that sentence, let him off the hook, but I shrugged and refused to qualify it. My professor’s eyes narrowed as they swept my whole body, analyzing me as more than her student. I read her face as she considered if I was a potential threat before decidedly dismissing me.
“His…” she filled in the blank. “His kid, right.”
“He never adopted me,” I said immediately. I was no kid, least of all Blake’s. I couldn’t tell if she was purposefully trying to antagonize me or honestly misunderstanding me, but either way, I didn’t like it.
“Oh? But he is your legal guardian, yes? He’s responsible for you?” A wry, not particularly kind smile lit her face. “You know, Lucy, it’s normal to feel…territorial over a parental figure. But at some point, you need to let them be happy.”
I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but then I’d never been good at keeping my mouth shut.
“Oh, I’m very good at making him happy,” I said.
Her eyes widened, but before she could respond, the door burst open, and Blake stood there in all his glory.
God, he was beautiful. He’d been inside me so recently, and all I wanted was to wrap myself around him, plant a kiss on his lips, and make it clear who he belonged to.
But did he? He’d called me his, but never said he was mine.
“Blake,” the professor said with a happy trill to her voice, her earlier low, suspicious tone forgotten.
Coach glanced at her. “No interviews tonight,” he said shortly. “Lucy—”
Ha. Satisfaction filled me at his response. He didn’t know who she was.
Trey pushed his way out. “Hey, sis,” he said.
He gave her a warm hug, then, holding her arm, turned to Coach. “Remember my sister Alison? And your date?”
“My—” Blake’s eyes looked blank, and then recognition snapped in them. “Oh, Alison. Right! Our…date. Tonight.”
The confirmation was a slap in the face, the kind that left a mark.
The professor—Alison—straightened her shoulders, tossing her hair. It was a poor imitation of my own hair toss, but then I doubted she’d practiced in the mirror for days until she got it right.
“Yes, our date. It’s late, you must be starving. Good game, by the way. You really pulled it off in the second half.”
Second half? Did she even know anything about hockey?
I mean, for the daughter of an NHL team owner, I didn’t know as much as I should, but even I understood hockey had three periods.
How the hell could Blake even consider going on a date with someone who, sure, was brilliant when she taught animal behavior, but was an idiot otherwise?
Blake looked at me over her head, and for a moment I thought he was going to refuse, to tell her he had plans.
Please refuse.
But then Trey said, almost sharply, “Coach, you don’t want to miss your reservation. It’s not like you to bow out on commitments.”
There was a deeper meaning to his words, and Coach forced a smile to his face that didn’t reach his eyes. Still, he didn’t speak.
“I was just talking to Lucy here,” Alison added. “She’s welcome to join us. After all, she’s one of my students…did she tell you?”
Coach nodded slowly. “Yes, she told me.”
“Oh, good.” Alison looked lost for a moment but quickly recovered.
“In fact, she’s up for a special intercollegiate pre-vet program, and as long as her grades, activities, reputation, and recommendation letters are up to par, she’s a shoo-in.
” Alison stressed recommendation letters, and her point was clear.
Don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it, I begged Coach with my eyes. But I could tell she’d caught him with “recommendation letter.” He knew what she was implying, and he wasn’t going to risk messing with my future—even if it meant he wouldn’t be in it, because he was a fucking martyr and a jackass.
“Yeah, we shouldn’t miss our reservation,” he said. “And I’d rather spend some alone time with you, if that’s alright.”
That was all I needed to hear.
I turned to go, even though I could feel his eyes burning a hole in my straight, stiff back.
I didn’t need this shit.
Didn’t need any of it.
Especially when I had his car keys.
I had no interest in being overlooked, forgotten, and uncared for ever again.
Clearly Blake had just wanted some young virgin pussy and had no deeper interest in me.
The photos made no sense, but…neither did him going on a date with someone else right after he’d fucked me.
I didn’t care if we had to keep things secret, or that he was protecting me—he could have canceled, made up an excuse, something.
Still, as I reached the end of the hallway, I turned to look, just to see if he really was watching, but his eyes were on Alison…
…and her hand was on his chest as she laughed at something he said.
This time, I didn’t even try to swallow down the tears, letting them blur my vision as I headed out of the arena, out of their sight…and out of his life.
Time to make my own.